Automatic welt turning mechanism of straight-bar knitting machines



H. W. START ET AL March 20, 1945. 2,371,932

AUTOMATIC WELT TURNING MEQHANISM OF STRAIGHT-BAR KNITTING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 27, 1944 March 20, 1945. H. w. START ET AL 2,371,932

AUTOMATIC WELT TURNING MECHANISM OF STRAIGHT-BAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed May 27, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //VVE/V7'0/?J JCWSZarb and E, Jiarb 57' MAMA;

\ ATTUP/VEYY Patented Mar. 20, 1945 -A'arrorm'rm WELT TURNmG Mrienainsm a or STRAIGHT-BAR mrme moms Harry Wilfred- StartQGm-lton, .ilrnest' Start, =Wilfomdy-Engldiidfl I i Ampncm mw 27, masemim. seam In:Gseat'BfltainMamh;;2,;19t8

4 claims; (01.

This invention relates to improvements in the automatic welt turning mechanism of straightbar knitting machines and is particularly applicable to machines of the kindin which a set of welt hooks are-mounted a bar carried by bearers disposed to'thefront of the needle-haiand are moved upto the needles to receive loops of the initial course, withdrawn therefrom during the knitting of at least a portion of the welt and moved unto theneedles to restore thereto the loops of the initial course taken oywelt'hoelcs v to complete the formation of the welt.

In welt turning mechanism of the kind dc scribed the necessary tension on the work during the production of a portion of the wlt is applied bysupplementary take up mechanism attached to the Welt hook bar until such time as the main take-up mechanism can be'brought into operation just prior to the welthook barreaolnng limit of its travel away from the needles; The

' duced the welt wire is pressed down on thework and into engagement with catches tohdl'dgit' in this position until the" main take-zap mechanism is brought into operation. It will be understood that a welt wire is placed injpositio'n in each" divisionoi the machine before the main take' up mechanism is brought intooperat'ion so that ali thewelt wires are drawnbackt'ogether. With in position until sumc ent work hasbeen produced to permit of thembeing pressed down. on

thework' and into en agement with their respective catches and consequently'the welt hook Tears" may reach the limit of their travel before the welt wires can he placed position in all the divisions, which would mean stopping the machine to complete this operation or else faulty work would be produced. Furthermore when the welt wires are drawn back .by the main take-up mechanism there is a tendency for the welt wires to ride over the ends of the welt hooks onto the latter where they cannot perform'their prope function.

ot-the present invention is to the disadvantages of the prior arrangemerit. I

. m le-present invention provides, in turningmechanism or. the kind desoribedg an-gulariy adjustable: armsto engage with and hold the ends of therwelt wires and adapted to be turned so that. their ends project above the work to receive the was of the welt wires. A further texture otrthe isthe provision .of guides thea-rms which engage with the ends of the welt wires: andidttect' the latter into a position the welt hooks when the main takemp mechanism is brought intooperation.

1 invention will now he more" particularly described-with re-fierence to the accompanying drawings in whichz- Fig. 1; is a; sectional elevation of part of a straight bar knitting machine showing the welt hooks in position to receive loops. or the initial *Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation and Fig. 3 is a plea oi part-of a straight-bar knit} 7 a plan and so. this arrangement the welt wires cannot be placed Fig". 8 a front-elevation of one of the welt wire supporting arms shown detached,

Fig. -9 is a sectional elevation on the line X -X derstood is shownin the drawings.

At the commencement of a welt the welt hooks A- are moved into the position in Fig. 1

' so that they can receive loops of the initial course and the; necessary tension on the" work is applied bytth e auxiliary take-up mechanism which com prises straps B connected to the end of the welt hook bar 0 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and operated in well known manner. When the welt hooks A have been withdrawn a sufiicient distance from the needles the welt wires D are placed in position on the fabric D In order to hold the welt wires D arms are provided to engage with the ends thereof and retain them in posiment of the shaft E. In order that the ends of lv cannot ride over the latter.

the welt wires D may engage with their respective arms, the latter are preferably formed with :1

grooves G in their inner side faces to receive the ends of the welt wires. These grooves G arev prierably formed with a step H therein which isso disposed that it comes just above the level of the fabric when the arms F, F are turned up into L position shown in Figs. 2 and 3. It will there fore be seen that when the ends of the welt wires D are placed in the grooves G and releasedlthe ends will drop onto the steps H as shown in Fig. 2. The shaft E extends across all the divisions of the machine so that all the welt wire engaging arms will be turned up'together by an angular adjustment of the shaft E about its axis. After the shaft E has been angularly adjusted to move the arms F, F associated with each welt hook bar C into the position shownin Fig. 2 the welt wires D can be quickly placed in position for each welt hook bar and each welt wire D will drop onto the step H provided in the grooves G in its associated armsF, F and be disposed in a similar position to the welt wire D shown in Fig. 2.

When the welt hook bar has nearly reached the limit of its motion away from the needles the shaft E is angularly adjusted to-press the welt wires D ontothe fabric D as shown in Fi 4.

This operation moves the welt wires B into the mouth of that part of the groove G disposed behind the ste H ready for the withdrawal of the welt wires D into their operative positions when the main take-up mechanismqis brought into operation.

v The main take-up mechanism comprises the usual straps J connected to the take-up roller. K and provided with hooks L at their outer ends to engage with the welt wires D. i The straps J are fully extended and placed in position ready for engaging with the welt wires when the main, take-up mechanism is brought into operation, prior to the starting of the welt. To ensure that the hooks J engage with thewelt wire supports M may be provided on the arms F, F} to hold the straps J in the positionshown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. I

- The main take-up mechanism is brought into operation just prior to the welt hook bar C reaching the limit of its movement-away from the needles and as the straps J arewithdrawn by the take-up roller K the hooks L will engage with the welt wires D and draw them back alongthe grooves G as shown in Fig. 5.

In order to prevent the welt wires D riding over the ends of the welt hooks A when the take-up mechanism is brought into operation. the groove G in the arms F, F or the upper side thereof, is extended back to a point beyond the rearmost position of the ends of the welt hooks A as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. It will therefore be seen that when the main take-up mechanism is brought into operation the hooks L on the straps 'J will engage with the welt wires D and draw them back along the grooves G and that when they move out of engagement with the grooves G or'the extension of the upper side thereof they will be in a position underneath the welt hooks so that they When the Welt wires D have been withdrawn from the grooves G the arms F, F are returned to the position shown in Fig. 1 ready to receive ?the ends of the take-up straps J priorto the startof the next welt.

The arrangement described permits of the welt 'wires being placed in position in ample time before the welt hooks reach the limit of their movement away from. the needles so that this operation can be effected without stopping the machine and efiectively prevents the welt wires riding over the ends of the welt hooks.

What we claim as our invention is: r

1. Welt turning mechanism for a. straight-bar knitting machine having associated therewith pivoted welt wire holding arms adapted to be turned about their pivots to bring the ends of the arms above the work to receive the welt wires and supports on the arms to hold the ends of takeup' straps so that the latter will engage with the welt wires when tension is applied thereto. 7

2. Welt turning mechanism for a straight-bar knitting machine having associated therewith pivoted welt wire holding arms angularly adjustable about their pivots to bring the endsv of the arms above the work, a groove in the inner side faces of the arms to receive the ends of the welt wires and supports on the arms to hold the ends of take up straps in position to engage with the welt wires when tension is applied thereto. v

3. Welt turning mechanism for a straight-bar knitting machine having associated therewith pivoted welt wire holding arms angularly adjustable about-their pivots to bring the ends of the arms above thework, a groove in the inner side faces of the arms to receive the ends of the welt wires, a step in the groove to hold the welt wires over the work and supports on the arms to hold the ends of take up straps so that they will engage with the welt wires when tension is applied thereto.

4. Welt turning mechanism for a straight-bar knitting machine having associated therewith pivoted welt wire holding arms angularly adjustable about their pivots to bring the ends of'the arms above the work, supports on the arms to hold the ends of take up straps in position to engage with the welt, wires nd groove in the inner side faces of the arms to receive the ends of the welt wire and guide the latter into a position below the welt hooks when drawn back by tension applied to the take up straps.

I HARRY WILFRED START.

ERNEST START. I 

